Jim Purtee became Palmdale’s City Manager on October 5, 2015. His diverse and thorough public service career began with the City of Simi Valley in 1988 when he started as a Housing Planner. In his position, Jim managed affordable housing programs, obtaining funding and developing agreements which helped thousands of local families buy their first home, obtain an apartment at an affordable rent, or repair and keep their long-time residence.

After being promoted to Deputy City Manager in 1999, Jim played a key role in attracting an upscale regional mall to the City and advancing the $300 million project through the development process to meet critical timelines. He worked with the Simi Chamber of Commerce to develop a "Shop Simi Valley First" program, and served as liaison with the county, Chamber of Commerce and other public and private organizations to promote job creation, business attraction/ retention, and affordable housing development.

In 2006, Jim broadened his experience by taking on the position of Director of Administrative Services, where he managed seven divisions that were responsible for all internal support service functions of the City including budget, treasury, fiscal services, support services, customer services, and worker's compensation.

Jim was named Assistant City Manager in July 2012, where he was responsible for intergovernmental relations at the local, state and federal levels, and served as the City’s Public Information Officer. In addition, he provided oversight for the Administrative Services Department and Human Resources division, and was a resource for annual budget preparation, budget forecasting, labor negotiations, and labor relations. Jim represented the City as staff to various boards and commissions including the Association of Water Agencies, the East County Transit Alliance, the Ventura Council of Governments, the Ventura County Transportation Commission, and the Ventura City/County Managers group.

Holding both a bachelor’s and master’s degrees from California State University, Northridge, Jim is also a graduate of the International Council of Shopping Centers - Shopping Center University in San Francisco and the Government Finance Officers Association - Advanced Government Finance Institute at the University of Wisconsin.

Happily married for the past 29 years to Tina, whom he has known since high school, they are the proud parents of four children: Erika, Elyssa, Ariana, and Ethan.

In his spare time, Jim serves as an Assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 549 in Granada Hills (where his son Ethan recently obtained his Eagle Scout rank), and he restores classic vehicles including a 1954 Chevy and a 1957 British motorcycle.